It seems that each day I start out by telling you how utterly tired I am and how close I am to dropping in my tracks!!! Well, today is the real deal! Jacey decided to grace us with her presence at 4:45 am. That's only two hours TOOOOO early! I quickly gave her Melatonin in hopes that she would relax and go back to sleep in a reasonable amount of time. Nope. Dublin had already gone elsewhere for the night so we brought him back onto the bed with Jacey. She fought me about staying in bed which created a huge meltdown and screaming/crying. Judd came in and helped me praise and pet Dublin during this so that he will recognize that when Jacey screams something good happens. It's basically bookmarking it for him for future reference when it comes to behavior disruption.
Well, let's just say that Jacey took FOREVER to fall back asleep after her meltdown. I figured it was about two hours long for her meltdown to subside and for her to finally calm down. I finally got her to fall asleep snuggling me. Of course, I had to be sitting up with her in my lap so that I couldn't be terribly comfortable. As she finally seemed to mold herself to me, my alarm went off telling me it was time to get up and get ready. I really wanted to ignore it, but knew better so I got up. So this was just the start of the day!
We met back at the Rotary park, the first park we tracked at. However, Christie was not there! Yep, you heard it right! Christie was not going to be there for the track, which meant the dogs would be following strictly the child's scent. I couldn't believe it! I went and hid with Jacey while Judd went along for the track. About a hundred yards into it, Jessa (trainer) turned the Flexi (16 ft retractable leash) over to Judd. And you know what? Dublin FOUND Jacey! I am simply amazed at what these trainers have done with these dogs. We only had two tracks with Christie. And yet after only two tracks, Dublin picked up on the fact that the other scent that was there was Jacey's...and went for it!
Jacey wasn't interested in hanging out in the weather since it was snowing pretty good, so I put her in her carseat which she decided to not like after a short bit. Judd came back from the track that had followed Jacey's and we decided to go back to 4 Paws in hopes that Jacey would be happy to be free in their play area to do whatever (EXCEPT markers!!!). It worked.
We continued to work with distractions and things from the past few days. Jennifer, senior trainer, dropped piles of Beggin' Strips near each dog which were all in a down. Dublin did extremely good. I had a turn of walking with him and the shopping cart near these distractions and he did well. I even really tested him by stopping with him standing right in front of a pile. He did SUPER! So for today, he wasn't tempted! Keep it up Dubs!
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| Beginning distraction work for the day. |
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| Jacey decides to put Dublin's harness together...but not on him! |
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| Jacey decided to walk along with Mom... |
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| ....then wanted to help push the cart... |
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| ...and finally, wanted to ride in the cart! |
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| Yep, she wasn't interested in getting out when Mom was done with the cart. Hi Crista! |
We went to Arby's for lunch with both Jacey and Dublin. I placed Dublin in an "under" beneath the bench I was going to sit on. I was quite surprised during our meal when he barked. I quickly (as quickly as a Budah belly allows me to bend over and touch my toes) bent over and corrected him with a quick snap of the leash and a firm no. A few minutes later, he did it again! I couldn't believe it. When I bent over to see what was going on, the only thing I could figure was that he wasn't sure of the kids feet across the aisle from us. A sweater was hung over the back of a chair and the chair beyond this one had feet below the table. I can only guess that Dublin wasn't for sure what they were when they moved. I have no other ideas! But he behaved the rest of the time there as I rewarded and praised him frequently for being a good boy.
We all had lots of questions in the afternoon from tracking to corrections to Dublin barking at Arby's. :o) Jeremy also handed out the Flexi for each of us along with a collar to keep attached to it. The questions filled most of the time and before we knew it, it was time to leave for the day. I must admit after being up since 4:45, my eyes got a bit heavy. Tomorrow, I will be sure to bring more chocolate to have on hand for such an emergency!!! :o)
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| Jacey wanted to give Dublin treats while we listened to Jeremy. |
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| And Dublin wanted Jacey to give him treats! |
Yesterday, a gentleman on Trapperman.com emailed us an invitation for dinner as he only lives a few miles from our hotel. We went over at 5:30 and I don't think I sat more than ten minutes during the time we were there! Jacey was upset the entire car ride over and when she was let loose in their house, she found all of the decorations to be the best toys. I chased Jacey during this visit and she wasn't even able to hold still to sit and eat dinner (which was delicious)! Don and Bonnie were very nice and understanding. They told us not to worry about their decorations because they weren't expensive items. We let them know that if we weren't aware of her every move, there wouldn't be one piece left unbroken. We managed to leave their home with Jacey having only broken one item. Dinner was excellent and the little conversation that I was able to be a part of was wonderful. Judd said on the ride home that Jacey showed her true colors at their house - SO TRUE!!! Dublin was super. They kept forgetting that we had even brought him, which was nice to hear since that is the goal of when we go places.
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| Visiting with Don and Bonnie after dinner. Jacey enjoyed their snowman. |
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| My big belly blurred the first picture so I stood out for this one! :o) |
The individuals on Trapperman.com have truly amazed me with where their hearts are. We were shockingly amazed at the auction that they put together with all the items being donated from different individuals. The results of the auction definitely helped us get to Ohio so quickly. We've also had individuals email, offering their homes to us for our trip out here. And then Don and his wonderful wife, Bonnie, graciously invited us over for dinner. What blessings we have come across! The hotel does not serve dinners Friday, Saturday or Sunday. Don and Bonnie saved us from one evening of trying to eat cheap and pampered us with a wonderfully home cooked meal. Thanks Don and Bonnie for opening your home to us and especially for not kicking us out after seeing Jacey's energy level!!! :o)
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| Jacey and Dublin's dinner bowl. |
Dublin is truly a wonderful dog. It was wonderful to see this evening when Jacey ran through the room, he quickly got up from his spot under the desk to run after her into the kitchen, tail wagging as he went. I definitely think he is thinking she's pretty cool stuff since she is feeding him his meals. Tonight, she couldn't sit still long enough to get her hand in the bag more than once to toss food to him. Judd decided to get his bowl and pour his food into it. Jacey layed on the floor as this was done and then quickly grabbed the bowl and began moving it around, just above her head. Dublin was so excited to have dinner and Jacey was very giggly watching him chase his bowl around.
So, here we are... Typing this update onto the blog with fairly droopy eyes. It didn't take Jacey long at all to fall asleep after her bath. In fact, Judd was planning on taking Dublin out to go potty in the next few minutes while Jacey sat snuggling in my lap. He wasn't even able to get outside before she was out cold in my lap. Please keep your fingers crossed that she sleeps in just a bit tomorrow!!!
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| Enjoying a much more relaxed little Jacey!!! |
Well, tomorrow will bring us a new day. I'm sad to know that it is Sunday and that we won't be able to attend church. I'm guessing we will be kept fairly busy though because we will be doing another morning track and then it is off to the mall in the afternoon to learn about tracking in stores.
Well, I think it is time for this Mom to go to bed! Until tomorrow...
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